BNP alleges Aug 21 attack was a master plan to destroy it

BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy addresses a memorial meeting of former vice-chairman and Dhaka district unit president Abdul Mannan in Dhaka on Friday. — New Age photo

Bangladesh Nationalist Party leaders on Friday said that the killing of Awami League leaders by throwing grenades on Awami League rally in August 21, 2004 was a master plan to destroy the BNP and nationalist forces in the country.

‘It was not only a conspiracy to kill Sheikh Hasina but also to bury the BNP leadership,’ BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy said while addressing a commemoration meeting of BNP central leader Abdul Mannan at the party’s central office in the capital’s Naya Paltan

He said that the main perpetrators of that attack were given an apparent exemption and staying in the home and abroad.

He called on the government to take steps to find out them.

Dhaka District BNP organised the meeting to commemorate the unit’s former president and BNP vice-chairman Abdul Mannan who died on August 4 in a Dhaka hospital.

‘It was our (BNP) fault that we failed to find out the real culprits and to bring them to book and our party is paying the price for that,’ Gayeshwar said.

Senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said that the incident was tragic and unwanted. He also complained that BNP leader Tarique Rahman was not involved in it.

‘His name was not in the charge-sheet of the case but Awami League has included his name in supplementary charge-sheet when the party goes to power,’ Rizvi said.

Chaired by Dhaka district BNP president Dewan Mohammad Salauddin, general secretary Khandaker Abu Ashraf, central leaders Abdus Salam Azad, Nipun Roy Chowdhury, Aminul Islam, Dhamrai upazila chairman Tamizuddin Ahmed, daughter of Mannan lawyer Menhaz Mannan also spoke at the commemoration meeting.

SOURCE: New Age